September 27, 2011

I was on my way to work today (commuting via public transportation) and when I looked up (from my mobile device), I noticed that almost everyone on the train who was looking at a mobile phone, Blackberry, tablet or eReader.

If you commute via public transportation, take a look and let me know what you see.

September 20, 2011

Around this time every year I start to see the usual “the sky is falling” posts (mostly from “career advisors”) about how job seekers better get their resumes and profiles updated now and get a job before Thanksgiving because from then until the New Year nothing happens.

I call BS. This is a myth.

I am not going to link to the post that has my attention because I left a comment on the site and it is still in “moderation”. I doubt it will be approved but in case you are wondering if it was “inappropriate” I have a screen shot of it below.

You judge if I was being fair.

My issue with the post was a bulleted point that said between the holidays hiring “...generally comes to a screeching halt...”

September 12, 2011

"The secret of life is enjoying the passage of time Any fool can do it There ain't nothing to it Nobody knows how we got to The top of the hill But since we're on our way down We might as well enjoy the ride" - James Taylor

Imagine a new no calorie candy bar comes out that not only tastes like your favorite candy bar, but there are no calories and it eliminates fatigue (with no side effects). Unfortunately, you will most likely never hear about it.Why? Because the inventors of this candy bar feel that it's popularity should grow based on word of mouth. No advertising, no marketing plan. Isn't your job search the same? Don't you need to let people know who you are, what you do and that you are available? I think so, although others will disagree. So, why a marketing campaign? Most good marketing campaigns let their target market know about their goods and services so that they can increase brand awareness and market share.

September 08, 2011

Conducting a job search can be a bit of a confusing experience. If you have been looking for employment for weeks without an interview call, you’re likely to be thinking, “What could I be doing wrong?”

Sometimes, it’s that you need to make a few small tweaks to your resume—and other times, you need to completely overhaul your job search. If you’re not getting any callbacks, there’s a good chance that you fall into the latter category. So what can you do about it?

1. Clean Up Your Resume

Since your resume, aside from your application, is generally the first thing a company sees, taking steps to clean it up is a great starting place. Look over your resume to ensure that there are no obvious errors like misspelled words, grammar or punctuation issues, or typos. Then make sure that your font sizes and types are uniform.

After that, it’s good to make sure that you have created a fantastic headline/job target for your resume, along with a great career summary that highlights your best professional moments to date. Also, don’t forget to use plenty of industry-geared keywords in your resume, and list all of your best qualities as close to the top of your resume (and within each section of the document) as possible.

About & Connect

Welcome to the Minnesota Headhunter Blog. My name is Paul DeBettignies (pronounced De-Bett-ingz).

I started writing in 2005 to share thoughts and ideas I had as an IT recruiter.

Since then I expanded this site to include MN IT and recruiter jobs, links to Minnesota business news and promote the local tech community.

I am the Principal of Minnesota Headhunter, LLC a Minneapolis IT search firm and a frequent local and national speaker and article contributor on recruiter, HR, career, networking and social media topics.